Sami essays

Sami essays Light gleams into the tent and shines into his eyes transferring a reaction to his brain telling him its time to wake-up. Stepping outside he feels the brisk wind bite at his toes sending a chill up his spine which in turn awakens every hair on his body. Its 26 degrees outside, and he is about to start another days work. This is the way the Sami, one of the most indigenous peoples of Europe, live their lives. There are over 75,000 Sami, who have their own economy, religion, communication, social organizations, and way of life. Throughout the Samis history their ancestors inhabited the area before the present borders were drawn. The Sami are divided into 3 subgroups: Mountain Sami, Forest Sami, and Coastal Sami. Each of these subgroups are distinguish primarily on the basis of their subsistence economies. These subgroups are often at times comparable to the 3 subgroups of the American culture: the rich, the middle class, and the poor. Which sequentially are distinguished primarily on the basis of their subsistence economies also. The cultures of Americans and Sami have many similarities and differences. The similarities and differences are based on their environment, economic activities, religion, communication, social organizations, and change. Sami culture is based on the diverse and maintainable use of their territory in order to fulfill the basic needs of the people. Reindeer herding, fishing and hunting as well as gathering natures products and making handicraft are traditional Sami sources of livelihood (Lapps 253). Due to the northern latitude and moderate elevation, winters are long and severe and are followed by short mild summers. In the summers, the Sami grow a few hardy crops, harvest berries, protect their reindeer from clouds of insects, and sell goods to growing number of tourists. Each subgroup has their own use of knowledge on the behavior of nature and animals. The Mountain Sami spend thei...

Definition and Examples of Maxims

Definition and Examples of Maxims Maxim, proverb, gnome, aphorism, apothegm, sententia―all of these terms mean essentially the same thing: a short, easily remembered expression of a basic principle, general truth or rule of conduct. Think of a maxim as a nugget of wisdom―or at least of apparent wisdom. Maxims are universal and testify to the commonality of human existence. It is often difficult to tell whether a maxim means something, or something means maxim.   -  Robert Benchley, Maxims from the Chinese Maxims, you see, are tricky devices. As Benchley suggests in his comic chiasmus, they generally sound pretty convincing at least until a contrary maxim comes along. Look before you leap, we say with conviction. That is, until we remember that he who hesitates is lost. Examples of Dueling Maxims English is full of such contrary proverbs (or, as we prefer to call them, dueling maxims): The bigger the better / Good things come in small packages.Whats good for the goose is good for the gander. / One mans meat is another mans poison.Birds of a feather flock together./ Opposites attract.Actions speak louder than words. / The pen is mightier than the sword.Youre never too old to learn. / You cant teach an old dog new tricks.All good things come to those who wait. / Time and tide wait for no man.Many hands make light work. / Too many cooks spoil the broth.Absence makes the heart grow fonder. / Out of sight, out of mind.Its better to be safe than sorry. / Nothing ventured, nothing gained. As William Mathews said, All maxims have their antagonist maxims; proverbs should be sold in pairs, a single one being but a half truth. Maxims as Strategies But then, we might ask, what is the nature of proverbial truth? In his essay Literature as Equipment for Living, rhetorician Kenneth Burke argued that proverbs are strategies designed for dealing with situationsfor consolation or vengeance, for admonition or exhortation, for foretelling. And different situations call for different proverbs: The apparent contradictions depend upon differences in attitude , involving a correspondingly different choice of strategy . Consider, for instance, the apparently opposite pair: Repentance comes too late and Never too late to mend. The first is admonitory. It says in effect: Youd better look out, or youll get yourself too far into this business. The second is consolatory, saying in effect: Buck up, old man, you can still pull out of this. ( The Philosophy of Literary Form, 3rd edition, Louisiana State University Press, 1967) Maxims in an Oral Culture In any event, the maxim is a handy device, especially for people in predominately oral culturesthose that rely on speech rather than writing to pass along knowledge. Some of the common stylistic features of maxims (features that help us remember them) include parallelism, antithesis, chiasmus, alliteration, paradox, hyperbole  and ellipsis. The Rhetoric of Aristotle According to Aristotle in his Rhetoric, the maxim is also a persuasive device, convincing listeners by conveying an impression of wisdom and experience. Because maxims are so common, he says, They seem true, as if everyone agreed. But that doesnt mean that all of us have earned the right to use maxims. Theres a minimum age requirement, Aristotle tells us: Speaking in maxims is appropriate to those older in years and on subjects of which one is experienced, since to speak maxims is unseemly for one too young, as is storytelling; and on matters in which one is inexperienced it is silly and shows lack of education. There is an adequate sign of this: country folks are most inclined to strike maxims and readily show themselves off. ( Aristotle On Rhetoric : A Theory of Civic Discourse, translated by George A. Kennedy, Oxford University Press, 1991) Finally, we might keep in mind this bit of proverbial wisdom from Mark Twain: It is more trouble to make a maxim than it is to do right.